First Look: Zayda Buddy’s
21-Jul-2008
Last week some friends and I visited Zayda Buddy’s in Ballard. During the course of our friendship (over twenty years) we have visited all kinds of places but Zayda Buddy’s was certainly a first for us. Although they bill themselves as a pizza joint there is much more than pizza on the menu. But that isn’t what’s unusual. What is, uhm, interesting is that they bill themselves as a Minnesota-style thin-crust pizzeria.
Now I have to tell you when reading that description I had actually no idea what to expect, although I have to say there’s no better place than Ballard to locate something that is Minnesota-style! With it’s original Nordic population often migrating from the Midwest, if anyone can appreciate Midwestern fare you would think it would be Ballardites.
Since we only ordered a couple of appetizers I still don’t have a real feel for what Midwestern pizza would be, except for the description on the menu and it seems to be mostly related to the thin crust. The rest of the menu, however, definitely points to a certain style. Partly honoring Midwestern traditions such as hot dogs and bratwurst and also nodding to what I think of as 50s dishes such as Tuna Noodle Casserole.
We shared a couple orders of Buffalo Chicken Wings, which were very good and Deep-fried Shrimp. They were also good and I really loved the heavy-on-the-horseradish cocktail sauce served with the shrimp!
I can’t say I’m drawn to make a special trip to Ballard specifically to eat there again but if I was in the area Zayda Buddy’s would definitely be a place I’d think about stopping by.
Zayda Buddy’s
5404 Leary Ave NW
Seattle
206.783.7777
Culinary Fool 
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